BROOKLYN, NY — Mixed media production company 1stAveMachine has expanded with a new West Coast headquarters. The team is led by partners Arvind Palep, Serge Patzak, and Sam Penfield, and includes executive producers Andrew Geller and Garrett P. Fennelly, director of development Jordan Stone, and director of digital content Alexander Schepsman. Palep, Geller, Fennelly, Stone and Schepsman will all be based out of the new Santa Monica office and will focus on film, TV, online and branded content.
Leading the creative voice is Palep, one of the original co-founders of 1stAveMachine. His work includes both live-action and animation direction, and he is known for creating visuals that blur the line between reality and imagination.
EP Geller joined 1stAveMachine in March of 2011, heading their creative development department, and helping to move the company into long-form entertainment with his work on Prosthesis. He has since executive produced 1stAveMachine’s first television series ThingamaBob on History Channel 2, the upcoming comedy feature After Finding Sofia.
EP Fennelly began his career as the unit production manager on films such as New York Export: Opus Jazz and Martha Marcy May Marlene. He then produced short films such as The Fort, Teacher of the Year and Karaoke! His commercial clients include Starbucks, The New York Times, NatGeo, Sephora, Porsche, and Mercedes. In the music video world, he recently executive produced OK Go’s VMA-winning The Writing’s on the Wall.
Director of development Stone started at 1stAveMachine from the ground up. After graduating from Northwestern University, he joined the company in February 2013 and quickly went on to serve as their head of creative development, helping to secure new business for their commercial arm.
Director of digital content Schepsman produced his first feature film Martha Marcy May Marlene, followed by many other feature films with major film festival recognition and distribution ranging from digital to wide theatrical releases. His latest film, James White, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
“We’re excited about starting our Santa Monica office,” says Palep. “It’s the perfect place to leverage the talent and creative goodwill we’ve built over the year in film, TV, digital and branded content.”